We’ve all heard it: Microsoft (nowadays Google and Apple, too) being referred to as the “evil empire,” or Windows Mobile being called a “dying breed.” There are some truths to these statements: if you really think about it, smartphone brands, their parent companies, the user base, the developers and the community are a lot like nations, each vying for success and dominance. So, what would each smartphone brand be like as a country (or other stately body)? Well, I thought about it for a while and what follows is what I came up with. I’ve spent time in each or with people from each community, and these are the conclusions I’ve drawn. In chronological order, I present the Five Nations of Smartphone. Enjoy!

Microsoft Windows Mobile

An ancient empire that disintegrated and fragmented with the passing of time, this country used to be home to many with traits similar to those of another country’s population: productivity, organization and efficiency. The government was a forefront to the creation of organized nations, but as time wore on, it became less and less interested in its nation and allowed it to split into many states controlled by those who built the infrastructure.

When the government all but disappeared, one infrastructure state rose above the rest to continually enhance the environment and attract new citizens despite the disadvantage of its datedness. This state unofficially approves of workers who use the infrastructural enhancements to benefit parts of the population who still lived under older infrastructures. In this way, everyone has access to the best of what the state has to offer.

However, the original government has returned and is building something at the center of the old empire. They say they will bring together all the separated states under one unified environment, and that this new nation will be the best yet. The walls surrounding this project are littered with tiny peepholes where the curious population looks on. Some workers have even been allowed inside the perimeter to get an early taste of what awaits them in this future country. From atop the grand walls, the smoke byproduct of creation arises, and promises something new.

Research In Motion Blackberry

Existing since the early days of organized nations, this country has relied on its population of serious and productivity-minded people. The infrastructure and the environment are spartan; form steps aside in favor of strong and secure function. The workers build only what they must, skipping out on the creativity that the country’s population has no interest in. Meanwhile, the government looks on ambivalently, working fervently on national security and only interfering in the lives and business of its population and workers when this security is threatened. The government’s forays into creating a new, more advanced infrastructure and environment were met with considerable failure, and the government returned to the mentality of “if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.”

An odd phenomenon that this country has experienced is a rise in a population group of addicts. There are citizens of this population that do not share the same productive traits as other citizens, but instead rely on the country as a means for trivial social interaction. This group neither understands nor appreciates the country for anything more than its ability to join its citizens, but do not tax the system. They are therefore widely overlooked by the government and the other part of the population, but are often taken advantage of by workers who know they can successfully cash in on their addiction.

Apple iPhone

On the surface, one sees a young but very powerful nation that seemingly sprouted from nothing. Its population grew at a shocking rate and now outnumbers nearly every other. The workers flocked to it, promised by the government a vast fortune to be made at the hands of this growing population. Unsurprisingly, the government was correct: the best of the workers flourished, dominated the population, and made their great fortunes.

However, all is not well. The workers are hindered by harsh and restrictive laws. The government steps in frequently to enforce what they consider to be a perfect environment for their population. Although the resource potential of this nation is immense, the government restricts what some consider to be the best possible uses of these resources. These workers disobey and disregard the government ordinances and are labelled outlaws and removed from the environment as frequently as they are caught. To the enlightened population, these workers are heroes: they are a light in the dark, a release from the restrictions set forth by the government. These workers are appreciated by a few.

The rest of the population knows the country, the environment, and the infrastructure only through the propaganda of the government. They are convinced that there is no good alternative, and that each improvement made by the government is a world first, even if other countries tread down the same path many years before. The longer the population experiences this propaganda, the more reliant they become on the offerings of the government.

Google Android

A peculiar country only recently founded, this nation builds upon the values of an open society. It is nearly an anarchy, with the small existing government tending only to the environment and having all but a small hand in the infrastructure. The infrastructure is dominated by states, the largest of which is also in control of another country’s disappearing resources.

The workers are motivated by the prospects of nurturing this nation into eclipsing another country, an empire of propaganda. At their disposal is the vast and infinitely open environment created and managed by the government, which they are able to bend to their will due to the lack of almost any real regulation.

The population is young, intelligent, and informed, and they have come to this country purely by choice. They wish to live in a world where the mentality of their homeland is the standard, and freedom without compromise is the ultimate objective.

Most recently, the government has attempted to pull the fragmented nation-states back into a central body in order to strengthen the country and the environment, though the states fear this will potentially harm the infrastructure.

Palm webOS

Built on the disappearing remains of an aging empire, the government constructed a new, advanced and well put together environment for its people. However, a flimsy infrastructure (even when alleviated by small but prominent changes) and a lack of outspoken propaganda in favor of the fledgling nation to this day keeps the population low.

This population, however, is nationalistic, kind, and talented. Citizens look out for each other and help whenever they can. The veterans remember with nostalgia the former empire but look readily on in hopes for a greater future. The population’s workers all pitch in for the greater good, amending the environment under a tolerant and appreciative government.

Then, when the old government could no longer support itself, a gentle giant took over and reassured the population that life would go on without any drastic changes. The new government rewarded the population’s workers for their efforts and encouraged them that the future will be bright for this country. They promise an expansion of the infrastructure as well as continuous improvements to the environment, and the population has never been more dedicated. In a recent competitive event, the population’s nationalism again proved far stronger than that of the anarchist nation.

In Conclusion

So, yeah. Thoughts? Analyses? Am I off my rocker? You be the judge.

Storylines. If I had to pick one reason why I enjoy watching endurance races more than any other types, it’s the fact that there are so many different “stories” occurring at any given moment during the race. Such was the case at the 58th running of 12 Hours of Sebring, the grand opening to the 2010 American Le Mans Series.

Before I go into talking about this race, though, I have some definite explaining to do. No, your RSS reader is not broken, and no, I haven’t been posting to a secret part of this site: the date of the last post I made is indeed August 9, 2009. Sad thing, isn’t it? Well, I’m back now, and I have new plans and ideas for Ignition Unlimited. Believe it or not, I’ve even convinced a guest writer to occasionally drop some content on here! Amazing! I’ll go into detail about the future of IU later, because now, it’s time to talk about Sebring.

Changes

Going into my second year of following this race, I knew what to expect but I didn’t know exactly how the 2010 12 Hours would differ from the 2009 race. My first answer came from glancing at the entry list every once in a while starting months before this race: it became clear that the Peugeot vs. Audi fight was over for this year, at least at Sebring, as Audi was nowhere to be found. Although Peugeot was to be the only diesel running there, new regulations put higher limitations on diesels in order to make the competition between them and petrol-powered prototypes more fair. This was evident, to a degree, as I’ll discuss later. Another change was Highcroft Racing: last year’s favorite for the whole ALMS Season, Patrón-Highcroft Racing ditched their P1 Acura ARX-02a for a modified P2 ARX-01c, a change that surprised me until I found out that the Prototype classes were to be merged for the 2010 ALMS Season. Like Corvette Racing (who transferred last season from GT1 to GT2), it seems Highcroft is in search of a greater degree of competition. Speaking of classes, there were five at this race: Prototype 1 (where you have your diesel Peugeots, a Lola run by Aston Martin, and others), Prototype 2 (the class of the aforementioned Patrón-Highcroft Acura team, a Porsche RS Spyder and one other), LMP Challenge (a new class of single-make/model racing using Chevy-powered Oreca FLM09 cars), GT2 (the biggest factory-backed class, featuring BMWs, Ferraris, Porsches, Fords, and more) and GT Challenge (the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup class).

The Storylines Of Sebring

Unlike last year, when the main event was an epic Audi-Peugeot face-off, this year’s Sebring 12 Hours was characterized by many little events that led to a fairly unsurprising end result. Since there were so many, it’s time for–yep, you guessed it–IU Bulletpoints… with video!*

• First Few Hours
  The beginning of this race was amazing, and I’m not sugar coating that at all. Really. Tons of passing action from all classes, coupled with the great fighting from LMP1 (yeah, believe it or not, the non-diesel P1 cars could stand a chance against the Peugeots) and GT2. Video speaks louder than words, though, so check this out. And don’t act like you’re not impressed. I couldn’t imagine why any woman in the world could resist Emanuele Pirro (green Lola-Judd with the British flag on the rear) after that insane pass, not to mention he also had a better single-best-lap time than the winning Peugeot.

• The Harsh Reality
  Sometimes things just go wrong. If your race comes to an end three-quarters of a lap in, and it’s the car’s fault, well, that’s what you call a bad day. Unfortunately, such was the case for Autocon Racing, Jaguar Racing, and Drayson Racing. All of these teams had catastrophic mechanical issues either at or very close to the beginning of the race. Although Drayson partially recovered after their Lola-Judd’s alternator decided to take a permanent vacation, both Autocon and Jaguar were both out for good. The real heartbreaker was Jaguar, though: on only the first lap, a cylinder head cracked and ended their day. It’s really too bad to see that happen to a fledgling team, but the reality is harsh: shit happens.
• There’s A Reason Why It’s Called “Endurance Racing” – Part 1: Cars
  Think about it: you have a piece of expensive, well designed machinery running at maximum capacity for 12 hours straight. You’d figure something always has to wrong, right? Well, miraculously, some cars never do run into problems, but all the others… yeah. A few instances of this notably stood out in this year’s Sebring 12 Hours. One of my favorite teams, Patrón-Highcroft Racing, had a little electrical problem in the cockpit of their Acura ARX-01c that turned into an issue that cost them 24 minutes of driving time (they were penalized for having too many crew members working on it over the pit wall) and therefore a first-place finish. Patrón Racing’s Ferrari F430 GT also suffered a slight issue while in the hands of its owner, Scott Sharp. It sort of lit on fire. See for yourself in the video below.

• There’s A Reason Why It’s Called “Endurance Racing” – Part 2: People
  If something doesn’t go wrong with the car, something can definitely go wrong with that fire-retardant-nylon-wearing mush of organic material that plops into the carbon fiber bucket seat for each stint. Yeah, you read that right, ladies and gentlemen: humans make mistakes while racing! It’s understandable, however: the cars are hard to drive (even for one lap, let alone all 12 hours), it’s physically uncomfortable (a driver had to receive medical attention for overheating while in a closed-cockpit car), and it’s tiring. The biggest failure of the day, though, was obvious: Corvette Racing’s pit crew. I’ll let the video do the talking; it was a mistake that cost them the race, needless to say. And, oh yeah, Team Falken Tire’s pit crew should probably make sure all the center-locking lugs on all four wheels are completely tight before letting their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR leave the pits (yeah, yeah, I know the axle end was broken, but they shouldn’t just be sticking a rim on there and praying that it’ll stay).

• The Results
  I’ll be bold with this: compared to last year, the end of the 2010 Sebring 12 Hours was boring. The P1 class was won undisputedly by Peugeot’s 908 HDI. P2 was slightly more interesting, with a 1st place finish from the independent Team Cytosport running a Porsche RS Spyder. Risi Competizione’s Ferrari F430 GT won GT2, and, oh, Level 5 Motorsports won LMPC and an Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup won GTC (for some reason I can’t seem to get excited about the Challenge classes).

• Odds And Ends
  There were a few other events of note on Sebring day. The two best came afterwards. Firstly, one of the winning Peugeot drivers, Alex Wurz, dropped a sweet F-Bomb during a live interview on Speed TV’s post-race coverage. Secondly, Radio Le Mans announced that Wolfgang Ullrich, Audi Team Joest’s head honcho, had been spotted multiple time throughout the day, in the stands and in the pits, observing the competition carefully. This is because, for the past week, Audi’s new car (the R15 Plus; don’t worry, I’m covering that soon), its crew and its drivers were at Homestead Speedway doing high-speed testing, and starting today, Audi was at Sebring attempting to beat the P1 lap times set during the Sebring 12 Hours. After a disappointing loss last year, Audi’s sights are now set firmly on the top of the podium at Le Mans.

The End Of The Beginning

Thus ends the 2010 12 Hours of Sebring. This exciting prologue is making it look like the beginnings of an excellent American Le Mans Series Season. I will again follow all 24 of the Hours of Le Mans on June 12th, and I will also be returning to the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on July 25th. It’s race time.

* Videos courtesy of MT89Motorsport’s Youtube Channel. These are awesome, thanks!

Yeah, yeah, I know this game came out in November of 2008, and that it’s almost a whole year later, AND that Need For Speed: Shift is coming out in slightly over a month, but I still feel the need to give a commentary on this game. Until I saw the light of games like DiRT, Test Drive Unlimited, and Forza Motorsport 2, I was a big Need For Speed fan.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted was (and still is) one of the greatest “arcadey” racing games ever made (those police chases almost become zombie-horror-survival-esque with their one-versus-infinite feel), so it was natural for EA: Blackbox to try to replicate that feel after two games that didn’t do so well (Carbon and ProStreet). Did they succeed? Read on to find out.

A Failed Attempt?

Indeed. Most Wanted‘s concept worked wonders the first time. Carbon was an undeniable flop of a game. ProStreet was a completely different breed of game (a faux-sim, if you will), so it doesn’t count, although EA’s CEO John Riccitiello thinks it’s comparable:

I thought it [Pro Street] was an okay game, in terms of gameplay. It’s not good… …Undercover will be a much better game.

Wrong you are, John, because Undercover is pretty damn poor. I know I enjoyed ProStreet, which I traded in to get Undercover, a lot more. It’s a better game overall, because it’s not trying to be Most Wanted; it’s original. Enough about comparisons between the Need For Speed games… time to talk about Undercover by itself.

The Good

I’m starting with the good so you can see that I just don’t blindly hate this game, and because there is actually a surprising amount of good in this game (just not right stuff, unfortunately). The map, Tri-City, is colossal. It’s got 109 miles of roadway, which only loses to Test Drive Unlimited out of the games I’ve played. The map has more than enough polygons, as to not have the jarring “ride” of TDU, and they manage to make the visuals of a moderately boring desert-combined-with-coastal-town (yeah, I was confused too) quite beautiful with the lighting and shaders the game’s graphics engine employs. Speaking of the graphics, the cars look absolutely amazing as well. The paint shades look excellent and you can definitely and easily distinguish between the finishes available for the paints (see my matte black Veyron as an example, although excuse the poor quality of the image). The attention to detail is also excellent, except when the cars get damaged, in which case the damage looks rather generic and it’s not exact (for instance, swipe the left front quarter panel only and the whole front bumper appears scratched).

Then comes the car list, which I personally think is the best they’ve had in a Need For Speed yet. You’ve got everything from the old Corvette Stingray to the Bugatti Veyron, including a little personal favorite of mine, the Volkswagen R32 (again, see my image below). Europe, Asia, and America are all represented, although the representation from Asia could be a little bit stronger. At least they have the R35 GT-R.

The last good thing about the game I’d like to touch on briefly is the soundtrack. Every Need For Speed has had at least a few good songs on its soundtrack (well, except Carbon maybe), but this one definitely takes the cake. As well as representing very well-known names such as Justice, Nine Inch Nails, and The Whip, Undercover features some interesting and fun tracks from slightly less mainstream bands and artists such as Ladytron, Ojos De Brujo, The Pinker Tones, Mindless Self Indulgence, and The Fashion. I have not yet switched to my own music streaming from my iTunes Library while playing this game, which is something I usually find myself doing fairly quickly with Need For Speed titles. Hell, it’s actually an iPod-worthy soundtrack.

The Bad… Uh-Oh

Oh boy. Here it comes. I actually don’t even know where to start. Factual inaccuracies? Good idea.

And yes, as a disclaimer to possible fanboys, I know this game isn’t a sim, but damn, these errors are truly unforgiveable. Here are a few, NOT ALL, by any means, but a few:

• Possibly a deliberate error, the pricing of cars in this game is ridiculous. A Nissan GT-R is $225k while the Veyron is $325k, and an Audi S5 is $115k.
• It is commonly known fact that the Lamborgini Gallardo LP560-4 and the Audi R8 are very, very closely related and that the Gallardo is the better performing of the two by a considerable margin. Why, then, is the Gallardo less expensive and in a lower performance tier than the R8 in Undercover?
• The Veyron is a tank, weighing in at over 4000 lbs. How can a police-equipped Porsche 911 Turbo (with a very heavily rear-biased weight of 3500 lbs) perform a PIT maneuver on a car with a mid-mounted W16?
• The A.I. in this game can handle a car on the highway at 200 MPH like doing a slalom on foot. No human will ever have such reflex. They also can spin you out with great ease, like the police, but if you try to do the same to them, it’s like hitting a brick wall.

As you can see, this Undercover has absolutely zero regard for physics, and this becomes even more apparent as you progress through the game, unlocking cars that handle better and upgrade parts to increase handling even further. I was at Lime Rock a few weeks ago (yes, I know, I know, a post about that is STILL in order), and I watched as the Acura LMP1 car tore through corners at over 80 miles per hour with complete control. This morning in Undercover, I took a hairpin turn in the Veyron (which, if I may point out, is not a stellar car for insane handling) at 160 miles per hour, flat out, no brakes, nothing, and did it cleanly, too. Seriously, what were they thinking?

It’s clear that they tried to mimic Most Wanted, but they honestly could not have made the game look more like it AND be less like it. The same feeling of “Oh damn, I gotta escape!” is not there during cop chases, the A.I. make the races extremely annoying, and the plot is more or less the equivalent of mixing 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Transporter. No, seriously, that’s actually what they were shooting for:

Undercover, according to Riccitiello, is instead taking cues from action films. “For those of you who ever saw movies like The Transporter – it’s sort of a cult classic among people with a B-movie mentality, which fits me perfectly,” he said.

My Final Verdict

Well, Mr. Riccitiello, The Transporter may be a B-Movie and fits you well, but Undercover is really a D-Game and doesn’t fit me at all. I was hoping so much for a newer, better Most Wanted, and this is the mess I get instead? Really?

For pretending to be Most Wanted, and of course, failing, I give Need For Speed: Undercover an Ignition Unlimited Media Rating of 3/10.

Ignition Unlimited is back in action! As you notice, things are different. A lot different. This post is to describe what I’ve done to the site, what my new direction for it will be, and other plans for the future of the site. I felt like going with a more luxurious feel this time around, to support my grand touring aspirations, so I went with chrome, leather and carbon fiber. Continue into the post for a further description of all my plans and everything else I have to say about this update.

I’ll write briefly about the new theme and layout before I start on the really important stuff. The layout is Jeremie Tisseau‘s OneRoom, but heavily modified by me for a more ‘automotive’ feel. When you enlarge images and other stuff? That’s Shadowbox JS. And the header, rotating all those featured articles? That’s Featured Content Gallery. Enjoy those new features as part of the reading experience!

When posting comments (which I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to do… let me know how my posts are!), if you use an email account associated with the Gravatar service, then your avatar will appear instead of the default one. A configured Gravatar is a useful thing to have! I’ve also sorted out and improved all the categories that posts are organized into. All the posts from before this big update can be found under the Legacy category. You’ll also notice that everything related to cars in one way or another has its own category as well. Also, don’t mind any minor areas of the site that don’t appear 100% finished yet… I’m working on it!

But wait a second… isn’t everything on this site related to cars? Well yes, in a way, but not everything I post will be as related as it once was. For instance, I’m going to give more coverage to car-related TV and movies, and also even some technology and music that really doesn’t relate much at all. Why, you ask?

The more I immerse myself in the passion of the automotive world, the more attached I feel myself becoming to one certain aspect of driving, and that is grand touring. I love the idea of using a car to travel long distances, to explore, to just drive for the sake of driving. This summer I plan to go on a few “road trips” of sorts, and I will undoubtedly document those journeys on here. Be ready: this site is taking a different turn. Welcome to the new and improved Ignition Unlimited.

Ah, The Fast And The Furious trilogy quadrilogy: the single biggest butt of jokes in the history of car movies. The first, The Fast And The Furious, was possibly the largest impetus to the rise of ricers; the second, 2 Fast 2 Furious, was a terrible, terrible movie with a dry, boring plot and horrifyingly gross cars; the third, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift was an interesting spin on things and possibly the best of the bunch (although that’s not really saying much). When I heard there was a fourth one coming, and that it would restore the cast of the original movie, I was wondering if they were attempting to redeem the sorry series with a retry of the original. Despite this, I wasn’t expecting much, as it is still part of the F&F series. Well, this past weekend I went to see Fast And Furious, and it was not exactly what I expected…

My Thoughts

Alright, I’ll go right out with it: I was expecting bad, but this was absolutely horrible. I don’t even know where to start, but I guess I’ll begin with the plot. It seems as if they took the plot from the second movie, nearly exactly, and swapped out some characters, cars, and objectives. Yeah, that’s right, the second movie. The worst one. Needless to say, the acting is horrible, with stellar, over-the-top performances from Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The minor characters were acted stereotypically and in a way so easy to guess, I had the movie figured out literally twenty minutes in.

The Fast And The Furious series is about street racing, right? Well there’s ONE main race, and it’s unrealistic and packed to the brim with CG and corny drifts. It also featured what would be the coolest navigation system ever – if it existed, and furthermore, didn’t look like something out of Star Wars.

And now, the cars. Oh, this is going to be fun. Well, it’s the second movie all over again: riced imports against old muscle that border on tasteless. I had an admittedly hard time keeping myself from cracking up at a scene I know should have been 100% serious: a certain funeral (I’m giving no spoilers) sees a group of ricers’ racers cars parked along a cemetary road, sporting their oversized wings and wheels. It was almost insulting.

Paul Walker is given the choice of any import on the city’s impound lot to use in his undercover mission, and after filtering through plenty of rice but also legitimately awesome cars such as the Honda S2000 and the new Nissan GT-R, he goes with a cool yet horrifyingly outdated (and overused in this series) Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, only to tune it exactly how he does in the second movie. Boring. Vin Diesel’s got yet more old-school muscle, both a Chevelle SS and the same Charger from the first movie. Boring again. Later in the movie, Diesel and Walker steal a riced 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI from the impound lot. That should really please the Subaru fans who saw this.

Ok, ok, there were some good cars as well, but let me make this point: they do NOT, in any way, redeem this movie, especially because most of them are only featured for a few seconds, tops. A black Buick Regal GNX plays a fairly integral part for the first five minutes, then disappears entirely for the rest of the movie. The best part of the movie only lasts for about five seconds, though: a white, rally-tuned Ford Escort Cosworth RS shows itself, light rack and all, at the beginning of some miscellaneous drag race. At the very end of the movie, the audience is slightly rewarded (like I said, nothing redeems the rest of the movie) with seeing Jordana Brewster driving a JDM-spec Honda NSX-R. Finally, there’s some Porsche Cayman which I guess could be considered cool. Overall though, in terms of cars, I was left far short of impressed.

Conclusion

I wanted to give Fast And Furious a chance. I really did. I heard it was the best of the series, and after Tokyo Drift, I was convinced that the people responsible for this movie had what it takes to make a good movie. Sadly, no. The fourth movie in this series is a tremendous failure, bringing back the same things that ruined the second movies. I’ll give this an Ignition Unlimited Media Rating of 3 out of 10. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t. Wait until DVD to see it, if ever.

Alright, so I’ve looked at the SUVs shown at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, and now it’s time for… everything else. Represented here are examples of speed, sluggishness, beauty, and monstrosity. Lots on the menu here (almost too much?), so shall we begin?

So, What Do We Have Here?

I’m going straight into it with the little footnotes about each… there are quite a few as you will see…

	Hyundai Equus I don’t think there’s anything I’d like to see more than Hyundai unseating Lexus at the head of the flagship sedan table. The Equus is truly a fine piece of work. I hope it comes Stateside!
Bentley Continental Supersports You can run the Bentley W12 off of E85 Ethanol (read: corn) and hit 204 miles per hour? No more rear seating and more carbon fiber instead in the name of saving weight? Yes please.
	Porsche 911 GT3 Doesn’t look to interesting. Looks just like the old one to me. Good thing they bumped up the horses to 435 and the top speed to 194, then. It’s a real sleeper, this one.
Merecedes-Benz E63 AMG A new face, new horsepower figures, and a new top speed of 186 seem to be telling RS6 and M5 drivers to look cautiously into their rear-view mirrors… but by the time they do, this will already be ahead. Nice work, Mercedes.
	Nissan NISMO 370Z I love the 370Z’s design for being closer to the old 280Z than any other more modern Z yet, and this NISMO version keeps that beauty while adding necessary aerodynamic upgrades. Indeed one of my favorites at NYAIS.
Nissan 370Z Roadster Let’s just say I was liking the pictures of the NISMO far, far, far more. The convertible conversion destroys the 370′s beautiful curves and adds weight. Oh, and that color. Bleh.
	Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk VI While it should be called the Mk V.5 because it rides the same chassis and utilizes many of the same underpinnings as the previous GTI, the redesigned interior is cool and I’m curious to see whatever R-Line variant they’re cooking up.
Subaru Legacy One of the world’s most underrated sleepers gets slightly more aggressive. Still keeping with the Subaru tradition of AWD and the famous Boxer-4, this is sure to be a winner.
	Subaru Outback Well, at least we know the Subaru designers were working double-time on the new Legacy.
Mazdaspeed3 I’m beating a dead horse, but it’s still too happy, and the American version seems to get braces of some sort in that big ol’ mouth.
	Scion iQ As usual, Scion takes something (usually neutral or poor in my tastes because it comes from Toyota), and makes it astronomically worse. The paint color is named “radioactive,” which is funny, because when I saw this I realized I’d rather absorb a large quantity of radiation than be caught in the driver’s seat.
Kia Forte Koup Eh, a Kia, it’s going to be bor- wait… what’s this? An attractive design paired with a fun powertrain and a bang-to-buck ratio that outdoes its competition? Wow. Never saw that one coming. Very cool.

And there it is. As usual, some good, some bad, some… interesting.

With the American car industry up in flames (well, save Ford), the New York Auto Show has been really interesting this year. Foreign competitors are showing off some serious new concept and production cars, while the domestic manufacturers are putting in a last ditch effort to defend the homeland. Geneva had some weird stuff, but New York is all business. Make the jump to see what I mean.

Heavy Artillery

You’d think with the current economic situation, SUVs would be in the process of downfall, right? Nope. Day one of the New York Auto Show saw the debut of a bunch of new and interesting sport-utility vehicles from all around the globe. Let’s start with good old America.

Jeep. They’re really common around here, and they don’t stick out at all. Boring. But now, Jeep has done a much-needed full exterior and interior redesign on the Grand Cherokee. This version, due out for the 2011 model year, is built on the same chassis as the Mercedes-Benz ML SUV and features the “Quadra Lift” air suspension system which allows the vehicle to vary height from around 4 inches while parked to over 11 for off-roading fun. Another system, “Selec-Terrain” lets the driver choose traction settings based on the driving surface from five settings. Engine choices are a 3.6L V6 with 280HP or the 5.7L HEMI V8 with 360HP.

What about the styling? Wow. A more sporty profile with great edges and a mean front fascia are an epic improvement over the previous generations. And then there’s the interior. That’s a JEEP? I was skeptical of this thing from looking at those releases they made to the government during stimulus talks, but now I’m convinced that this thing has the potential for great success. It’s clearly the best thing Chrysler’s come up with since… I don’t know… the 300C? Regardless, this is cool, and I hope it isn’t too late.

However, the Europeans are here as well, and they’re well-armed. Here’s what I mean:

	BMW X6 M-Sport I’ve always been an admirer of the X6, and now it’s got the power to match. 555 HP is no joke, and nor is a sub-five second zero-to-sixty in this 5,300-pound “Sports Activity Vehicle.”
Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid Retaining the horsepower of a V8 while upping fuel economy considerably is no easy task, but Mercedes has managed. A combined output of 335 horsepower paired with 24 mpg isn’t too shabby, though I’d still never buy this. Ever.
	Range Rover Sport The X6 M isn’t the only hotshot, insane SUV on the show floor. The new Range Rover Sport is packing 510 horses in the supercharged variant of the V8, and it doesn’t hurt that the thing’s a looker as well.

Close Enough

Acura. They’ve done some really great things with powertrains for this model year, and some even iffier things with styling. I know this post is supposed to be about SUVs, but I really can’t place this new concept by Acura… It seems to be a competitor for the X6, though. Crossover? I guess so. This new car, called the ZDX, is powered by a V6 (the specifications of which are currently unknown) and an apparently all-new six-speed automatic (likewise on the specs). It uses the same SH-AWD system that the new TL does, which is good news, and I’ll be excited to see how they adapt it to the weight of a heavier vehicle. In terms of styling, it’s pretty cool, but I want to see the final production version to make a real judgement.

These are the SUVs that have debuted thus far in New York, and expect a lot more to come relating to the NYIAS in the next few days.

Since 2001, the Toyota Prius has been an iconic car for the green revolution of automobiles. It’s easily recognizable to everyone, too. Look, there goes a hybrid! In Hollywood, there’s even a function that can be used amongst celebrities to determine how ‘green’ any of these ‘stars’ are: basically, (number of Prius owned) x (amount of times owning of said Prius is mentioned on the red carpet) = (apparent greenness). Jesting aside, I drove something yesterday that puts the Prius on notice. Who would of thought? Diesel power conquering the Hybrid-Drive? Well, Europe has known of this phenomenon for quite a while, but now is better than ever for the ‘States to catch up. This is my second Volkswagen post in a month, yes, and I realize I’m fanboying a little bit here, but bear with me me: the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI is out for green blood.

A Diesel?

Yes, a diesel. You’d never know, though, if you didn’t see the TDI badge which sits on the lower rear of the wagon’s hatch. Maybe if you were really concentrating, listening for the slight grumble when you start the car or give it a little extra throttle on the highway. But where’s the smell? And the smoke? Well, maybe you should stop living in the past. Modern diesels are considered “clean diesels” for a reason. Meeting California’s tough (ridiculous?) emissions standards is no easy task for a diesel, but the Sportwagen TDI passes with flying colors. Lots of people seem to love this car. The government does: they’ll pay you $1500 for buying one. The Green Car Journal loves it too: enough, in fact, to give it the Green Car of the Year award for 2009. Last and definitely not least, you would: at more than 40 miles per gallon, average, you’ll be happy at the pumps (especially considering diesel prices are great right now). And does it deserve all of this love? Of course.

Efficient Fun

In the Prius, all the efficiency comes at a price: performance. Roughly translated? Fun. The Sportwagen TDI, though, provides an engaging and fun driving experience. Volkswagen have given the TDI the same DSG that sits in my R32, albeit with a slightly different set of governing software. I was excited to try this familiar gearbox with the 2.0L turbocharged diesel, and my excitement was rightfully placed: this torque-graced engine produces 236 foot-pounds of it, which is the same as my car. However, as it is a traditional high-torque, low-horsepower diesel, the horsepower takes a hit: there are only 140 horses in this engine. Zero to sixty is just under nine seconds, which seems fairly poor until you compare it to the rivals, such as the Prius, who come in at over eleven seconds. On the highway, this works quite well for overtaking. When you delve into the other performance categories aside from acceleration, you find out why the Sportwagen TDI really shines in comparison to its green competitors: handling. Like a typical Volkswagen front-drive car, the TDI is responsive, grips well enough, and is genuinely a pleasure to drive. The interior is exactly the same as all other Mark V-platform cars from VW, including mine, but with different colors and certain alternate trim materials, so the build quality is good and the ergonomics are excellent.

What Does This Mean?

A similarly-loaded Prius to this TDI I drove comes in at $27,000, in comparison to the TDI’s $25,000. For this, you don’t even get leather heated seats in the Prius, which are only available on the top-of-the-line package at almost $29,000. This deal is a no-brainer. What are you going to opt for? The expensive, slow, and smug Toyota or the well-engineered, practical, and genuinely fun Volkswagen? I know which I’d rather have. What does this mean for green technology, though? If I had to steer this technological development in any given direction, I’d have to say that companies should combine the technologies: all the perks of the diesel drivetrain on the highway with the efficiency of an electric motor at low speeds. The question is, who’s better prepared to do this? I’ll give that to Volkswagen with only a moment of thought, because I’m not sure Toyota even knows what diesel is.

I love auto shows. Unfortunately, living in the Northeast means I only get out to one a year: the New England International Auto Show in Boston, which occurs each December. When I’m there, I get to praise some things, ridicule others, and just stand completely baffled by yet more. This is what I enjoy most about going to auto shows: the wide and crazy spectrum of desirability that presents itself on the show floor. Luckily, and although it’s not as great as being next to the machines in person, this same spectrum is easily identifiable when reading about and viewing photos from other shows online.

That’s why I’m going to take this opportunity to share my opinions of a couple of the key showings from the 2009 International Geneva Motor Show… because there’s a lot to share. Europe’s biggest show, which is currently open, has some of the best variation, between the awesomely beautiful and the horrifyingly ugly. Here we go.

Aston Martin

After the initial jaw-dropping, drool-inducing splendor of the DB9 wore off for me, no other Aston Martin has stood out in the same way as the DB9 did when I saw it for the first time. I realized that this is because literally everything Aston Martin has produced or even conceptualized in the past 10 or so years has looked shockingly similar… until now. Stepping outside their safe zone of designing swooping, handsome coupes (and a similar looking sedan, which is still in the works) has proved itself to be a Sisyphean task for the designers at Aston Martin.

Stare in horror at this repulsive failure of design. It’s called the Lagonda Concept, and it’s a step further in the direction of ugly than the previous user of the same namesake, the boxy Lagonda Sedan. It seats four and has got a V12 engine, four-wheel-drive, and loads of LED lighting, but none of that matters, because it’s easily one of the ugliest SUVs since the Pontiac Aztek. Chubby DB9 at the front and bloated Bentley at the back? No thanks. That’s just revolting.

Infiniti

I used to love Infiniti. I really liked the G (both the sedan and coupe), and at one time, thought I really wanted a G35x sedan. However, I began to notice that guidos, posers, and more advanced ricers seem to be the primary owners, and that there’s an ugly analog clock on the dashboard of each. Then Infiniti brought their Geneva showing to the table.

This is the Infiniti Essence. Few cars immediately seize me as beautiful, but this is just amazing. The styling reminds me of the Maserati GranTurismo, but for some reason this is far more appealing to me. The lines have an attractive flow that I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else. The only stylistic complaint I have about the car are the sizes of the front and rear badges. Yes, Infiniti, we know you made it. Tone it down just a notch, please. With its 3.7L twin-turbo V6 and attached electric, this 592-bhp hybrid-drive touring car would make a supreme luxury counterpart to the Nissan GT-R. Let’s see it produced, Infiniti!

Quick Opinions

Seeing as everything else I’m going to talk about in this article only requires one or two sentences of commentary, I’ve assembled a little table.

	Toyota Verso Wait, Toyota, you’re supposed to be making ugly and boring cars that appear aerodynamically challenged! This Verso, the new Prius, and the Venza all seem to be steps in the right direction, at least stylistically. Kudos.
Masonry Linea Vincero Veyron Take the world’s pinnacle of automotive engineering. Reveal carbon fiber. Add a more pronounced aero kit and raise the horsepower from 1001 to 1109. Paint it black. Instant bad-ass.
	BMW Alpina B6 GT3 I never really liked the 6-Series that much. However, in racing trim, this car is nothing short of stunning. I can’t wait to see it during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Renault Megane RS I hate to admit it, but this is one of the only hatchbacks that I consider better looking than the R32 Mk V, just… not in this color. Also, it’s a good application of FWD, but FWD it is nonetheless. Nissan should bring this to the states.
	Ferrari 599xx I don’t care how fast it is, or how much downforce those little winglets on the C-pillars add. That thing is hideous. They might as well have called it the “Ferrari SuperDrift 599999xx Edition.” Track star or not, this seems too much like Ferrari rice.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV Same idea as the Ferrari above: a road card tuned for the track, though infinitely less ugly. It doesn’t really do for me what the Gallardo LP560-4 does, but I think it’s very worthy of the rebirth of the SuperVeloce badge.
	Koenigsegg NLV Quant Very weird, and seemingly even more pointless. A solar car that can’t use the sun’s energy to help it go, has gullwing doors, seats four, and doesn’t even look like a car? Stick to working on variations of the CC, Koenigsegg… Do what you’re good at.
Audi TT-RS Attractive TT form factor, insane power to weight ratio from a turbocharged, direct-injected inline five, R8-like handling, and Alacantra bucket seats? I’m sold.
	MazdaSpeed3 Stop smiling. Seriously, that grin is making you look stupid. No, I don’t care that you have 250 horsepower now. It’s still going to the front wheels, and you look ridiculous. What are you so jolly about?

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is what I see at Geneva, in a nutshell. I’m not sure how much more is coming out of there in the next eight days, but if there’s anything even remotely interesting, I’ll have something to write about it. Credits and thanks go out to Autoblog for being my source of seeing what’s going on in Geneva and also for automotive news in general.

It’s snowing outside. It’s good, then, that tomorrow I have the chance to drive the all-wheel drive version of Volkswagen’s Golf V, the R32. The Mark V platform (also known as the A5 or PQ35 Platform) has already proven its useful in the current model Audi A3 and the superb Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk V. What could make that platform better, then? By adding Haldex Traction all-wheel drive and the ingeniously-designed VR6 engine, Volkswagen has created something absolutely amazing. There really is so much to say about this car, so let’s begin, shall we?

Seamless Integration

Literally everything in this car plays a part of the whole so well: nothing seems uselessly placed; nothing seems like a pointless extra. Maybe that’s what I love the most about it. Although it’s controversial among enthusiasts, the twin-clutch Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG for short) has me quite impressed. I knew from what I’ve read about it that it’s not at all your standard automatic transmission, but I’m truly surprised by how good it actually is. Leave it in automatic mode, and it does what it’s supposed to do: shift itself at low revs, be (partially) economical, and not do anything unexpected. However, the real fun starts when you push the leather-wrapped gearshift rightward while in Drive. You then have the option of using either the steering wheel-mounted paddles or the gearshift to change gears. Do nothing, and the transmission will allow the revolutions to reach just above redline before it decides to shift up. Click the paddle or push the gearshift forward, and the swapping of the clutches takes a mere eight milliseconds. The all-wheel drive, 4Motion, a Haldex system that normally defaults to 90% front drive torque and 10% rear drive torque, can send up to 100% of the torque rearward depending on the road conditions or the aggressiveness of the handling, giving this little hatchback the feel of a traditional rear-wheel drive sports car. What torque, you ask?

Power On Demand

Volkswagen began using the VR6 six-cylinder engine in 1991 in the Passat and the Corrado, as the 15˚ cylinder offset enabled this V6 engine to fit in place of a traditional inline engine. In 2001, the current 3.2L VR6 was born, and used in vehicles such the old R32 (Mark IV) and the first generation Audi TT. For the European-spec R32 Mk V, this same VR6 3.2 was given a power boost to get it to 247 brake horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque. Despite having what some consider to be an immense curb weight of around 3550 lbs, the R32 is not sluggish by any means: the VR6′s immense torque, which peaks at 2800 RPM, and its horsepower, peaking at 6300 RPM, help the car get from 0-60 in around six seconds, and onto an electronically-limited speed of 130 MPH for the United States-spec model. Passing on the highway is wondrous: a lightning-fast downshift makes a legendary sound and then the excellent power kicks in. It’s truly addicting.

A Nice Place To Be

Taking this car on moderate to long highway trips is nothing short of enjoyable. I don’t think I’ve ever been more comfortable in a driver’s seat. The R-Line bucket seats are supportive but not intruding, and the MFD2 navigation, radio, and media head-unit works wonderfully and is perfectly integrated to the steering wheel controls and the Multifunction Display (MFD) located between the gauges. In fact, the only thing I don’t like about the R32 is part of this system: the iPod adapter pretends to be a six-CD changer, which, in turn, was sacrificed to include this mediocre adapter. No song data appears on either display, although you can play/pause and change tracks using the steering wheel controls. Otherwise, the interior electronics work wonders. I couldn’t be more pleased. In the snowy winter weather we have now, the heated seats and the dual zone climate control are much needed and play their parts very well. In short, the R32 makes itself out to be a very strong grand tourer.

Strong Silence

No, I don’t mean the exhaust note, because it isn’t. I love the low bellow from the twin pipes that are centrally located in the rear bumper, which becomes a metallic roar at high RPM. I’m talking about the styling. It’s unique for such an interesting reason, one of the same reasons I love the R32: those who don’t have any idea what it is will ignore it and most likely not give it a second look, but those who understand what the .:R badge means will know exactly what the point is. What Volkswagen’s designers have done is given the R32 a somewhat unorthodox sleeper approach. Sure, it has an aggressive body kit and that set of tuned bassoons protruding from the center rear, but this packed performance package comes in a form factor that appears, to the untrained eye, like a regular hatchback.

Flexibility Unmatched

It works in the snow. It’s great on the highway. It tears up back roads with civilized, balanced handling. I love nearly every single last aspect of this car, and then there’s one more detail about this car (specifically the one in these pictures) that makes me adore it even more: this car, Volkswagen R32 Mark V, number 976 out of 5000 made for the United States, is mine. Expect to see a good deal more about this car in posts on here in the future. All in all, this car is amazing. People like to slam the DSG for not being a manual, but I don’t mind it; in fact, I quite like it. I always have said I don’t like the hype surrounding Volkswagen’s hot hatches, but sitting in that driver’s seat, holding on to that wheel, and clicking those paddles, I can’t help but get lost in that hype myself.